


As Easy as Breathing

by Jinkxedparty



Category: Queen (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Background Jimercury, Background Johnica, Background Relationships, Cross-Posted on Tumblr, Drama, Drama & Romance, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff and Angst, Idiots in Love, Implied Sexual Content, Not Beta Read
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-29
Updated: 2020-07-10
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:00:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24986458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jinkxedparty/pseuds/Jinkxedparty
Summary: Josephine “Josie” Crowley works with her roommates and best friends Roger and Freddie at a stall in Kensington Market where she repairs clothes and tries to sell her own designs. When Freddie commissions her to make stage clothes for his and Roger’s new band, Queen, she meets their new guitarist Brian May. Josie tries to keep her distance from Brian and her feelings for him, but being best friends with his band doesn't make that easy.
Relationships: Brian May/Original Female Character(s), Jim Hutton/Freddie Mercury, John Deacon/Veronica Tetzlaff
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there, thanks for checking out my story! This is a modern day AU with early Queen before they make it big, the main relationship is Brian May and my OC, but there is Jimercury and Johnica in the background. This was originally posted on my Tumblr @anotherhystericalqueen but I'm going to be cross posting it here for the rest of the story. 
> 
> DISCLAIMER: This is 100% a work of fiction and not affiliated with queen in any way. Please dont send this to anyone in or affiliated with them please

What do you think of this one Darlings?” Freddie spun in the store mirror, admiring his reflection as he modeled an old off-white leather jacket. 

“Fred, it’s falling apart at the seams,” Roger stared at his roommate in disbelief. “There’s no way we can sell that as it is and there’s no way you can wear that onstage without it literally falling off. Where did you even find that thing?” 

Freddie Bulsara huffed and turned around to face the two other owners of the Rag Trade, Roger Taylor and Josie Crowley, still modeling the falling apart jacket that he dubbed as ‘vintage’. “I have my ways Rog.” 

Josie perched herself up on the counter, letting her legs hang over the side. ‘Let me guess, Kash?”

Freddie shrugged off the jacket and handed it to the redhead. “It doesn’t matter how it was discovered, it just needs a little bit of Josie Crowley magic. I’ve seen you bring garments in worse shape than this one back to life, maybe we have another miracle on our hands.” 

Josie sighed and took a closer look at the jacket, running her fingers over the cream colored fake leather to assess the damage. There were some holes on the front and the arms and the zipper was falling off at the bottom, but those could be taken care of with some patchwork and embroidery. The seams were also close to falling apart in some places, but there wasn’t anything that could deem the jacket completely unsalvageable. In fact, it was the right amount of beat up that she could use it for another design she had already been planning out for Freddie.

“I don’t think we need a miracle here,” She shrugged, hopping off the counter and digging out her sketchbook from her bag. “Gimme a few days and I can give you a brand new jacket. I already have some ideas in mind.” 

Before Freddie or Roger could give either of their input on the jacket, Roger’s phone went off over the stall’s speaker and cut off the music that was playing from Roger’s YouTube app. The blonde leapt up from his place on the couch and disappeared into Josie’s workshop in the back of the stall. The other two shop owners shrugged it off and went back to comparing the design Josie had been sketching, to the jacket’s current worn out state. They started going over details that Freddie wanted when Roger popped out from the back. 

“Fred, can you come back here? It’s about the band.” He called back. Freddie got up from his place on the couch next to Josie and disappeared into the tiny backroom where Roger was. 

Josie manned the register while her roommates hid in the back to take what she guessed to be a very important phone call. It was a slow day all around in Kensington Market, so the Rag Trade didn’t get as much foot traffic as it usually did. Josie managed to keep herself busy by getting to work with when she heard a wooden clacking noise coming from the stall’s entrance. She pulled her attention away from her work to find that she had a new customer, but instead of browsing around the racks of new and old clothes he looked like he was looking for something specific.

Josie Crowley wasn’t a girl to get easily flustered by a boy, but this guy was about to make an exception. He was tall, really tall for starters. His bright blue NASA jacket was too short for his arms, leaving his wrists exposed to the cold. Loose deep brown framed his long face and brought out the different shades of hazel in his eyes. She studied the details of his face, from how his lips were slightly parted to how the tip of his nose was a rush of pink from the cool fall air, to how his hair fell in front of his eyes. 

“Hey,” She regained her composure to greet her potential client. “How can I help you?” 

“Yea.” The stranger pulled out a light denim jacket, running his thumb on the worn out seams. “I think you may be just the girl I’m looking for.” 

Josie studied the jacket in his hands. It wasn’t in as bad shape as Freddie’s but it looked like it could use some love and care. “Ye-yeah sure, I think?” She reached out for the jacket, which the stranger handed to her. She analyzed the denim and found that it was in better condition than she first thought. “Nice jacket, a little worn but overall in good condition. What do you need done with it?” 

“Well I found it in my parent’s attic and my dad said I could take it.” As he explained how he found the jacket, Josie noticed that his cheeks were turning from a light pink to a flushed red. “It fits for the most part but the sleeves are too short. One of my friends suggested that I come to you to get them lengthened.”

Josie examined the sleeves, “Yea I can totally do that. I would have to get some measurements really quick to make sure they don’t end up too long or too short. Do you mind?” Josie gestured towards the stranger before fishing around in her bag to find her measuring tape. 

The stranger nodded and put down his bag. Josie placed the measuring tape at the top of his shoulders and took his measurements for both arms, making notes on a blank sheet in her notebook for later. 

They tried to make some small talk as she finished up the measurements. “So is there anything else you want done to the jacket besides getting the sleeves lengthened? Maybe even put some of your own customization into it instead of just being a repair?”

“Yea that would be nice.” He laughed. “What do you do for that?” 

“Mostly embroidery and patches for denim jackets, but I can do whatever you would like.” She replied, her mind already spinning with ideas. 

“Embroidery and patches sound really interesting.” The stranger smiled at her. 

“Yea! I can put on anything you want on it.” She continued making notes. 

“If you’d like, I can give you my number so if there’s anything else you want done you can just let me know?” She suggested before quickly backtracking. “Unless you think that’s too forward.”

Space boy laughed and pulled his phone out of his pocket. “No of course we should swap numbers. I’d love to stay in touch.” He handed his phone over for her to add her number to his contacts. 

“I’ll text you later when I get home.” He offered. “It was really nice to meet you today….”

“Josie.” She reached out her hand. “Josie Crowley.” 

The stranger reached out and took her hand. “Brian May. It was very nice to meet you Josie.” 

“It was nice to meet you too, Brian” Josie felt heat was over her face as she watched Brian walk out of the stall, She kept running her thumbs up and down the worn seams of his jacket. She soon felt her phone vibrate next to her on the counter. 

**Unknown Number:** _ Hey, thanks for your help today! I hope this will be an easier way to keep in touch. -Bri _

Josie grinned at her screen but was suddenly interrupted by both Roger and Freddie bursting out of the back room, their faces lit up with excitement. 

“Jo! You’ll never guess what just happened!” Roger called out, making the redhead jolt up and juggle her phone in her hands.

“Fucking hell Roger,” She gasped, clutching her phone to her chest. “What? You scared the daylights out of me.” 

“Oh don’t be so dramatic darling.” Freddie rolled his eyes. “We have incredible news.” 

Josie put her phone down on the counter, “What’s up?”

“We got a gig!” Roger exclaimed before Freddie could even open his mouth. 

There was a long pause between the three of them. Freddie and Roger’s band, Queen, had been doing gigs around the London pub scene for the past couple months so it wasn’t huge news anymore whenever they got a gig somewhere. So Josie stood staring at her roommates with a confused look on her face. 

“What kind of gig?” She broke the silence. “You usually don’t get this excited over one Rog.”

Freddie laughed. “Jo this isn’t any old pub show. This is a legitimate performance! We just heard that we are going to be part of a rising musicians showcase at Royal Albert Hall next month. I sent them our demo last week and they want us to perform!” Josie could tell that Freddie was really excited about this, so she had no choice but to join in on the excitement. 

“That’s awesome!” She knew how hard they have been working to take their band to a more serious level, even if she hadn’t been able to make it to one of their shows yet or have even met the other members of the band. “Have you told the other’s yet? Or did they get a call too?” 

Roger shook his head. “Not yet, we want to ask you something before we tell them.”

Josie cocked her head to the side out of confusion, she wasn’t part of the band so what would they have to ask her before talking to their bandmates? 

“We want you as our band stylist.” Freddie asked. Josie felt her eyes widen and her heart started to pound. She knew that they wouldn’t be able to pay her much or at all since they were barely making it by at Rag Trade as it is, but she knew this would be a huge next step for both them and herself if the band took off. 

“I know you hang out with us enough so if you don’t want to we get it.” Roger chirped in, pulling Josie out of her thought process, “But you’re really talented with clothes and we need to look our best for this show so-”

“I’ll do it.” Josie cut him off. “I’m in. I don’t care about money or anything like that. If you want me and the others are cool with it, I’m in.”

Both Freddie and Roger immediately lit up in excitement.    


“But I do have one question though,” She added on. “How do you guys exactly expect me to style two guys I haven’t met yet? I can’t style someone that I don’t know, let alone have ever even seen.”

Freddie waived her off. “Don’t worry about that darling. I already alerted them of you joining our team as it was a given that you would say yes. They’ll be meeting with you in a few days since both of them have such busy lives.”

“You can use clothes from Rag Trade!” Roger piped up. “We got some clothes in the back we haven’t put out on the floor yet. We can set aside whatever you pick out to keep for the band.”

Josie blushed from Roger’s offer. “That is very thoughtful of you Rog. I swear that you guys get total input into whatever you wear. The last thing I want is for you to go onstage in something you aren’t comfortable wearing.” 

“You don’t have to worry about that Jo,” Roger reassured her. “We know whatever you do is going to be amazing.” 

Josie smiled at Roger’s comment. “Thanks guys, I promise I won’t let you down.” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

After the Rag Trade closed down for the night, Josie and the guys made their way back to the small flat the three of them shared a few blocks over. They were immediately greeted by Freddie’s two cats, Miko and Delilah and Josie’s cat, Chip. Freddie and Roger hung out in the flat’s common area while Josie retreated to her room for the night. She changed out of her street clothes into a comfortable oversized t-shirt and shorts before scrubbing off her makeup for the day and climbing into her bed. 

Josie pulled out her laptop and started scrolling through Pinterest for ideas not only for Freddie and Brian’s tasks for her, but to also get some tips and inspiration for Queen’s new stagewear, primarily focusing on what she would pick for Freddie and Roger. She was meeting the other members of the band tomorrow to get their measurements and start planning their stagewear for some upcoming shows.

She was soon distracted by Freddie’s newest kitten, Miko, jumping on top of her sketch and demanding attention. He paced around her legs and meowing insistently at the designer until she gave in and replaced the jacket in her lap with the tortoise-shell colored kitten, scratching right behind his ears. 

“You’re just like your Daddy, aren’t you?” She laughed. “You know just how to get my attention.” 

The kitten purred in content, kneading on her blanket covered legs. Watching Miko knead her lap, Josie reached for her phone and sent a photo to her roommates in the next room. 

**TO: Oh My God They Were Roommates👀👀**

**Josie:** _ I have been graced with Miko’s presence, If you need me I will be in my room the rest of the night with him  _

**Freddie:** _ Give back my son _

**Josie:** _ Never. He’s mine now _

**Freddie:** _ Traitors, both of you. If you’re taking Miko then I’m taking Chip in return _

**Josie:** _ Leave Chip out of this, he’s innocent! _

**Roggie:** _You two are weird_

**Freddie:** _ Says the one who’s obsessed with his car _

Before Josie could respond to her roommates, she saw a notification from her newest client- Brian. 

_ “Hey it’s Brian. Thank you so much for helping me out today on such a short notice! _ ”

She grinned and immediately switched over to his messages, ignoring the budding argument between her roommates that was going on over text. 

**Josie** :  _ Hey! You’re totally welcome. I should have your jacket all fixed up in the next couple days, so feel free to swing by around the end of the week and it should be done.  _

**Brian** _ : Thanks! Please let me know whenever you finish it, but there’s no rush! My band just got called about a huge gig so I’ve been a bit preoccupied.  _

**Josie** :  _ Oooooooh you’re in a band? What do you play? _

**Brian** : _ Yea, I play guitar. What about you, do you play any instruments? _

**Josie** :  _ That’s so cool! Unfortunately my talents are more in the design world than the musical world. I do want to learn how to play the guitar someday though _

**Brian** :  _ Well maybe I can teach you sometime _

**Josie** :  _ I would like that. Are you busy this week? _

**Brian** :  _ Not too busy, my band does have a gig next week so I have been held up with rehearsals whenever I’m not busy with my work. It’s nothing big, just a pub by Imperial College. What about you? _

**Josie** :  _ I just got a new long term project to work on so I’m still in the early stages of working on that. And I’m looking at your jacket too for what to do for embroidery or customization besides lengthening the sleeves. Do you have any interests or hobbies that could help? _

**Brian** :  _ Well outside of playing the guitar, I’ve actually been interested in space and astrophysics. I have been actually working part time on getting my PhD in Astrophysics.  _

Josie mentally exited out of the conversation for a moment and turned back to her . She immediately went to her profile and made a new board that she named “Ideas for Brian”, noting that he really likes space and to look for space themed embroidery prints. She had a few ideas in mind now that she knew for sure that he had a strong interest in space. Josie also made a mental note to see if there was any way that she could combine both space and music into one design to make it special just for him. 

“Note: see if Bri has photos of guitar he would like used.” She muttered under her breath as she typed out the note before jumping back into the conversation with Brian. 

**Josie** :  _ Oh wow that’s so cool! I had a feeling that you were into space from your jacket you wore today. And that has to be rough working and finishing a PhD AND being in a band _

**Brian** : _ Yea I guess it was kinda obvious. Luckily we are on a short holiday right now so I can catch my breath and focus on my music.  _

**Josie** :  _ I know how that feels, my last year at uni I thought I was going to break down from burnout by the end.  _

**Brian** : _ What did you study? _

**Josie** :  _ I double majored in apparel design and finance at Imperial college.  _

**Brian** : _ Hey I also studied there! And how did you get into two completely different subjects like that? _

**Josie** : _ It’s a long story, remind me and I’ll tell you about it sometime. I have an early shift at Rag Trade tomorrow and need to get to bed soon.  _

**Brian** :  _ Yea, I’m about to head to bed too. Goodnight Josie _

**Josie** : _ Goodnight Brian, talk tomorrow? _

**Brian** : _ I look forward to it.  _

Josie shifted on her bed in a way that disturbed Miko from his nap in her lap. The kitten meowed at Josie before leaping off her bed and made his way out of her room. She noticed that the light in the common room was now out, so she guessed that Freddie and Roger were both asleep, or at least in their own rooms. She placed her phone on the nightstand right next and plugged it in to charge for the night. As she drifted off to sleep, her mind kept drifting towards the curly haired guitarist she had only met a few hours before. 

~~~~~~~~~

Josie spent the next couple days working on Brian’s jacket and focusing on what she was going to do with Freddie and Roger’s band as their new stylist. Unfortunately, she had been so busy with her roommates and her own work that she hadn’t been able to meet the rest of the band. Today, she was finally able to meet the remaining members of Queen. 

John, their bassist, was the first of the two to arrive. They were holed up in Josie’s back corner of the store that she used as her spot to meet up with clients. In the first few minutes of their meeting, Josie dubbed John as her favorite member. He was a lot more calm and subdued than Freddie and Roger, which was a relieving change. She learned he was still a student, which is why they haven’t met yet since John was busy with his classes whenever he wasn’t rehearsing or performing with Queen. Josie could barely juggle working here with being in school before she graduated, so she gave him props for going after both the band and an honors electrical engineering degree. 

She had her tape measure slung over her shoulder as she leafed through a rack of clothes she picked out for the bassist. “What do you think of this?” She asked, holding up a black silky button down shirt. The chest was covered in small white pearl-like stars to add detail. “Freddie picked this one out, though it would look good for one of your upcoming shows.” 

John shrugged, holding the material in his hands. “I don’t know. Are you sure it isn’t too flashy for the band?”

The designer laughed. “You’re in a band with Freddie. He would go onstage in red and white booty shorts and suspenders and nothing else if he could so I wouldn’t worry about you looking too flashy.”

Her comment warranted a small laugh from John. “Yea, I don’t really put that past him. But I really do like that shirt.”

Josie smiled and put it on the rack closest to her that she had labeled “Queen Wardrobe.” She was happy that John was warming up to her and her abilities as a stylist. She had heard from Freddie that the kid would go up on stage in plain jeans and a t-shirt if the frontman would let him. Unfortunately a band that had both Freddie Bulsara and Roger Taylor would never allow such a thing so they always had the bassist borrow clothes from one of the two. She made it her goal to find anything that would help John come out of his shell and stop having to borrow appropriate stagewear from his bandmates, but she still wanted him to be comfortable and have a say in what he wore. 

Josie and John ended up deciding on three shirts, a pair of black flare jeans, and a pair of white skinny jeans that were also suggested by Freddie. Josie’s favorite thing that they found was a pair of tan platform boots that John was immediately drawn towards when she first pulled them out. She wrapped the clothes hangers together with a rubber band and tagged them “Deaky” to keep with the nickname Freddie had given him and so she would know they were picked for John. She already did the same for Freddie and Roger and was planning to do the same for their guitarist. 

As Josie was setting up for her next client, she heard a familiar clacking enter the shop. She turned to see who it was as Freddie greeted them and she immediately froze in place. 

It was Brian.

“Brian! I am so glad you were able to make it darling.” The singer exclaimed, abandoning his post at the counter. Brian still hadn’t noticed Josie yet, even though the Rag Trade wasn’t that big of a shop she was still in the back semi-hidden behind the varying racks of clothes. 

“You told me to meet you here for the band.” He answered. “Something about us getting new stage clothes?” 

Josie watched as Freddie led him back to her station, she saw the gears turning in Brian’s head as they made their way to the back of the shop. When Brian’s eyes finally laid eyes on the new stylist, he froze in place and his eyes went wide in surprise. 

“Brian, I would like to introduce you to Queen’s official stylist, the one and only Josephine Crowley.” 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Josie helps the band as they prepare for an upcoming gig and Brian makes her a deal she can’t refuse.

After Josie and Brian’s awkward second meeting, things have gone smoother than either of them thought it would go. Freddie and Roger observed interactions between the seamstress and guitarist like it was their own personal nature documentary, the way they would steal glances when the other wasn’t looking and how they would blush at any unintended physical contact. Freddie enjoyed watching Josie style their lanky guitarist and could tell she was having fun with it more than anything else. Brian was the only one that Freddie didn't add any input into his wardrobe without being asked first, leaving his wardrobe completely up to him and Josie. 

“What do you think of this for tomorrow?” She asked, holding up a black and gold patterned jacket with a matching gold necklace. “I think with some black jeans and a black shirt underneath it, this would be a good look for tonight.” 

Brian examined the shirt in Josie’s hands, “Yea I do like it. I already have some black jeans of my own I can wear and I already have shoes 

Josie drops her shoulders and stares at him with a deadpan look on her face, knowing exactly what shoes he was talking about. “You can’t be serious. Freddie will kill me if I let you go out onstage in clogs.”

“And why is that?” Brian asked. 

“Brian, they’re clogs….” She gestured to his shoes. “They’re the least rockstar shoe out there other than crocs, which I am sure Freddie would burn on site if he ever saw a pair in the shop.” Josie began digging around the shoes she had picked out from their last fitting to find a pair that would match and dug out a pair of all black vans. “Here, what do you think of these?”  
  
Brian stared at the shoes for a moment before asking her, “How about I make you a deal?” 

“What kind of deal?” The designer asked back, still holding out the shoes. 

“How about if you come to our gig tonight, I won’t wear the clogs onstage.” The guitarist offered. “Come to our gig tonight.” 

Josie rolled her eyes. “I’ll already be there Bri. You can’t have a show without your stage clothes.”

“I mean stay for the show, not just backstage beforehand to drop off our stagewear.” He explained. 

Josie thought over the offer. She had to get Up early the next morning and open the shop, but on the other hand she didn’t have any other plans for the night other than drop off the band’s clothes and go back to the apartment to work on Brian’s jacket and maybe watch whatever is new on Netflix with the cats. 

The redhead sighed and made up her mind. “Okay, I promise to go to the show tonight, if you promise to not wear your clogs onstage.” 

“You got a deal.” Brian laughed.

~~~~~~~~~~

Josie was the last one to close up the Rag Trade for the day, Roger and Freddie left early to get ready for their show. She had meant to stay open for another hour or so, but an emergency text from Roger led her to close up shop early and rush home as fast as she could while carrying four separate garment bags all at once. Luckily, the apartment wasn’t too far from the shop so Josie was able to get home relatively fast without completely exhausting herself or twisting an ankle from running. 

“I’m here!” Josie gasped for air once she got in the doorway and dropped all four bags to the floor. “I’m here, what’s wrong?”

“Miko got out.” Roger informed her, looking very frazzled. “Chip and Delilah are okay but Freddie and I can’t find him anywhere and Freddie is freaking out. I keep telling him we have to go soon or else we’ll be late. The show is in four hours and we still haven't even gotten our equipment loaded in.” 

As if on cue, Freddie appeared in the doorframe of his room, looking more worried than Josie as ever seen. His eyes were wide and red around the edges. She thought he looked like he was about to cry too but was holding back. “Roger I don’t care if we are a bit late! We have to find my baby, I’m sure he couldn’t have gotten too far.” 

“Fred, relax. It’s all going to be okay, I saw some moving boxes in the hallway when I came up here.” Josie suggested, trying to reassure a hysterical Freddie. “I think someone is moving in across the hall, let’s go see if they’ve seen him. You know he loves a good box to hide in so there’s a chance he could be in one of them.” 

Freddie wiped his already red eyes and regained some composure over himself. “Yeah, you’re right. Let’s go.” 

The trio headed to the other side of the hall where the mass of moving boxes accumulated. The door was open so Josie took the initiative to lean her head in and knock on the doorframe. “Hello? Anyone home?” 

“Yea! Just a minute.” A strong irish accent called out from one of the adjacent rooms. There was a shuffling of feet, then a guy appeared in the main living area that led right into the hallway of the building. He was very well built with broad shoulders and muscled arms covered in sweat from the strain of moving all those boxes up two floors with no elevator. His dark brown hair sticking up in every direction and his hands were covered in dirt and scratch marks. 

“Can I help you fellas?” The stranger asked. 

“Hi I’m Josie, this is Freddie and Roger, we live just down the hall.” She replied. “One of our cats got out and we were wondering if you’ve seen him wandering around? He likes boxes so I think he may have hid in one of yours.”

“Maybe,” The Irishman answered. “Could you describe what he looks like? I found a cat earlier but no collar. ‘Was about to take the poor guy down to the vet and see if he had a microchip or not.”

“He’s a tortoiseshell kitten.” Freddie piped up, “Very vocal too, about this big,” He held his hands out to show Miko’s approximate size.

“Ah, I think this little fella may be yours then.” The stranger answered, running back to the room he was just in and coming back with a very upset Miko trying to climb out of his hands. 

“That’s him!”Freddie let out a gasp so loud that the other three jumped. He ran past Josie and Roger and scooped the kitten up in his arms.

“Oh Miko you scared daddy, we were looking everywhere for you!” He looked up at the man. “Is there any way I can thank you uh..”

“Jim,” He answered. “Jim Hutton. And don’t worry about it, it’s no big deal.”

Freddie beamed. “It was very nice to meet you Jim. If you aren’t busy tonight Roger and I’s band is playing a show down the street if you would like to join us. I would text you the details but it seems I don’t have your number.”

Josie and Roger rolled her eyes at the exchange. Jim on the other hand surprisingly pulled out his phone from his back pocket. “I can’t make it tonight to your show but thanks for the offer. If you want to get coffee or something instead sometime that would be nice.”

“Well, it was really nice to meet you Jim,” Roger input. “But we have to get going before we’re late to the gig.” And quickly turned on his heels with Josie quickly following. 

“At least he didn’t ask how big his dick is.” They muttered at the same time, walking back to the apartment while Freddie and Jim exchanged their contact info. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There was already a line out the bar by the time that Josie arrived. She saw Roger standing out back and followed him inside carrying all four garment bags over her shoulder. Roger eyed her outfit up and down as they walked through the venue. He was used to seeing Josie dressed down in jeans and a blouse or the occasional tee shirt that she would snag from him or Freddie, but tonight she dressed up with a black faux leather skater skirt that she paired with a burgundy tank top and a black lacy bralette underneath and black Doc Martens. She also curled her fire red hair for the first time in a while which she was really proud of. 

“Well don’t you look all dressed up?” Roger pointed out on their way to the dressing room. 

Josie stopped and looked down at her outfit. “What? This old thing?” 

The drummer jokingly rolled his eyes as they found the tiny dressing room the band was sharing. John was sitting in the corner on his laptop, Freddie was walking in circles doing his vocal warm ups, and Brian was leaning against the wall opposite of John, fiddling with his guitar strings. 

“Good news guys, we have clothes for tonight.” Roger announced, helping Josie pass out the garment bags to the respective band members. Some had full outfits in them, but others were lighter and only holding statement pieces to add on to their current outfit. 

Josie stepped out for a few minutes to give the guys some privacy while they changed. She was scrolling through instagram when she heard the dressing room open and shut. She looked up thinking it was Roger, but she was instead greeted with Brian standing in front of her in his full stage outfit. 

“What do you think?” He asked, giving her a small spin to show the full outfit she designed for him. 

“I like it.” She nodded and smiled like a kid. “That jacket is one of my favorite things I found, thought you would like it.”

“I love it,” Brian fiddled with the sleeves, pulling them down to try and cover his bare wrists. “Sleeves are a bit short but that means they won't get in the way when I am playing.”

Josie continued to analyze Brain’s clothes. He looked great but something felt off about it, so she took off her gold necklace and handed it to him. “Here, this will pull it all together.” 

Brian accepted the offer, pulling his curls back to fasten the clasp of the necklace and letting it rest on his collarbone. “Thanks.”

Josie lit up at Brian’s now complete outfit. “No problem, you look incredible.” 

They stood in silence for a moment before the rest of the band joined them in the hallway. Roger twirled one of his drumsticks in each hand, John had his bass slung over his shoulder, shaking his wrists to warm them up, and Freddie appeared in between them, holding Brian’s red guitar in his hands. The singer handed the guitar to Brian, who lifted the strap and threw it over his shoulder, letting the guitar rest on his hips. 

“You guys look great.” Josie beamed with excitement. “Where’d you get those outfits?” 

Freddie playfully twirled to show off the black fake leather pants and jacket Josie had picked out for him. “Oh you know, our designer picked them out for us. All of it was custom made.” 

Roger and John both laughed at Freddie’s comment. “Seriously Jo, these are incredible. Thank you so much.” Roger looked down at his black leather pants and white fringe vest, twisting his torso to make the fringe move with him. 

Josie lit up at the comment, feeling herself blush. “You’re welcome guys. You have no idea how happy I am that you like them. I know you have to go onstage soon, so I will see you out there.” The band and Josie parted ways, the band made their way behind the stage while Josie turned on the heels of her boots and made her way to find a spot in the crowd to watch them. 

Soon after Josie found a spot close to the stage, she saw the lights start to dim on the stage as the audience started cheering and clapping, knowing the band was about to perform. Josie made her way up to the front of the stage where a majority of the bar patrons were crowded and found a spot just behind the row of people directly in front of the stage. She watched as Roger came out onstage and took his place behind his drum kit, soon followed by John, Freddie and Brian taking their places onstage. 

“Good evening all you beautiful people!” Freddie boomed into the mic. “Thank you for coming out tonight. We are her majesty Queen, let’s have one hell of a show.” 

~~~~~~~~~~

Josie was on an adrenaline high by the end of the show. She made her way to the dressing room as her friends were leaving the stage after their final song. Her ears were buzzing as she heard Freddie thank the crowd for such a great show before meeting up with a very sweaty Roger. 

“So, what’d you think?” He asked between deep breaths and grabbing a towel and throwing it over his shoulder. 

“You guys were awesome!” She exclaimed a bit too loud, making the drummer jump. “Sorry, hearing’s a bit shot, I think I was a bit too close to the speakers.” 

Roger laughed, “It’s all good, glad you enjoyed the show. The four of us are staying back for a bit and grab a drink or two, Freddie said you’re more than welcome to stick around if you want.” 

“Sure, I’ll stay for a drink or two.” She answered, still a bit too loud. “Do you know where Brian went?” 

Roger shrugged, suggesting that he may be out back at the band’s van to put away his guitar. He started to explain how much Brian cares about that guitar before Josie took off looking for him. 

She found Brian after the show back behind the venue, gently placing his guitar back into its case before sliding the case back into the van along with the rest of Queen’s instruments and equipment. His stage jacket had been discarded on top of one of Roger’s empty drum cases, making his all black look make him appear more like a roadie instead of the incredible guitarist she had just witnessed only minutes ago. 

“Hey rockstar.” She called out. “That was one hell of a show up there.” 

“I’ll take that as you had a good time at your very first Queen show?” Brian grinned, taking a seat on the bumper of the van and patting the seat beside him. 

“Yea, it was pretty awesome.” Josie grinned, taking a seat next to him, the cool metal creating a stark contrast on her skin from the humid night air. “I need to come to shows more often, you guys were incredible.” 

Brian’s face lit up from the compliment. “Thanks, we’re working on some new material and tonight was the first time we have been able to perform it. I think it still needs a few tweaks here and there but it’s nice to get feedback from a fresh pair of ears.” 

Josie laughed, laying down against the bed of the van and staring up at the night sky. “I thought it was a nice change from today. You would not believe what happened after you left the shop this morning.” 

Brian watched as Josie told the story of how Miko got lost and the trio met their new neighbor who found Miko hiding in a box full of his sweaters. He laughed as she explained how Freddie took the situation into his own hands and ended up asking the neighbor for his phone number to make time to properly thank him for finding the kitten.

“So Freddie asked out the guy who found his cat?” Brian asked, summing up the basics of the afternoon’s events. 

Josie shrugged. “I’m not sure if he asked him out but Freddie did ask for his number. That’s the best outcome we could have had in that situation, we got Miko back and Freddie made a new friend.” 

The two of them lay in the back of the van against the equipment, taking in the night air as Brian came down off his performance high and Josie let the remaining buzz she felt from the concert subside. Josie turned her head to face the guitarist, observing his every feature and how blissful he looked. His face was still flushed red from the adrenaline of performing, his eyes still in a minor haze before focusing on the girl sitting next to him. 

Josie took the scrunchie from her wrist and wrapped her hands around Brian’s sweat covered curls, pulling them off his neck to try and help him cool down from the heat. She managed to tie up his hair into a messy ponytail, his curls now resembling a poofy halo lit up by the lights from the bar and streetlights. Josie let her arms rest on Brian’s shoulders for a moment, taking in every detail of the moment. Brian wrapped one of his bare arms around her backside as she leaned in closer to him. 

They could feel their breath on each other’s faces as they leaned in closer and closer together, but they were quickly interrupted by the venue door opening. 

“Hey Bri, we just talked to the owner and they ju-” Roger was cut off by the sight of Brian and Josie in the back of the van. 

The pair jumped out of their seats and as far from each other as they could. Roger knew something was up with them, but he couldn’t put his finger on what it was until tonight. Josie and Brian were into each other and tonight’s show only proved that theory. Roger immediately turned on his heels and rushed back into the venue. 

“Rog!” Josie shot up and turned back to Brian. “I’m sorry, I gotta…..I gotta go.” She trailed off before running after the drummer, leaving the guitarist and the gold jacket behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So my ideas for their stage looks here was some of their outfits from the early 70’s and one of Ben’s Roger looks from Bohemian Rhapsody.
> 
> What did you guys think? Please leave comments and kudos if you liked it! I appreciate any and all feedback☺️


	3. Chapter 3

Josie woke up early to her alarm going off the next morning. She grabbed her phone and hit the snooze, but that didn’t last long when she saw the text messages and social media notifications flooding her screen. 

**Brian** :  _ Hey, is everything okay? _

**Brian** : _ You ran off pretty fast last night, is everything alright? _

**Brain** :  _ Josie? I’m getting worried. Please text me back  _

**Roger** : _ Hey, we didn’t get back until super late so I’m coming in later in the morning. Can we talk later? I promise it isn’t about you and Brian. _

**John** :  _ Want to hang out later? I’ll be at the shop all day with Rog or Freddie if you want to do something.  _

**Brian** : _ I’m stopping by Rag Trade later to drop off my stuff from last night. Are you working today _ ?

**_Instagram- you were tagged in a post by @Queenmusicofficial_ **

Josie responded to John first. “ _ Yea I’m opening today so I’ll be at the shop until 3-ish so come by the shop whenever. I’m working on a project for Freddie so we can do something afterwards.” _

She didn’t check to see if he responded or look at any of the other texts before crawling out of bed and shrugging on her bathrobe. She snuck into the shared bathroom between her and Roger’s bedrooms and fell right into her morning routine. 

After a quick but warm shower, some light makeup, and spending 20 minutes trying to find an outfit that met her standards, Josie grabbed her phone and shoulder bag from the end of her bed. The bag was a lot heavier than it usually was as she threw it over her shoulder, and it moved a lot more than a bag should have. Josie flipped open the bag to reveal an orange and white kitten curled up inside, his big green eyes staring up at his owner. 

“Chippey,” Josie sighed and picked him up out of the bag. “What are you doing in there? You know I can’t take you with me to work.” 

The kitten meowed back at her as she placed him back on the floor. He began weaving in between her legs as she walked out to the kitchen area. Chip continued to persistently meow as she pulled up his food bowl along with Delilah and Miko’s and fished through the cabinet below for the cat food. All three cats meowed loudly and rubbed themselves up against her until their food bowls were full and their water was refreshed. 

Josie poured herself a bowl of cereal for breakfast so she at least had something to eat before her shift and scrolled through her Instagram, checking the post she was tagged in.

It was a set of photos of the band performing onstage and hanging out backstage before the show. The front one was of the band and Josie in the backstage dressing room before the show, posing for the camera with bright smiles on their faces.   


She began to think back on what happened after that picture was taken, but was soon pulled out of her thoughts to see Roger standing in the kitchen, pulling the kettle out from the top cupboard and filling it with water. 

“Morning.” Josie piped up. “Sorry if I was too loud, I didn't mean to wake you.” 

The drummer shrugged, grabbing a mug and a bag of his favorite tea. “No worries, I was already awake so you don’t have to apologize. If anything, I guess I am the one that owes you an apology.” He trailed off.

“Rog, it’s fine.” Josie replied. “You don’t have to apologize for something you weren’t aware of.” 

“I know, but I wish you had said anything before trying to snog my best friend.” 

Josie dropped her phone and glared at her roommate. “It was not my intention to kiss Brian, and you know I didn’t kiss him because you were there. And you didn’t have to run off afterwards if you had a problem.” 

“And you didn’t have to run after me.” Roger remarked. “I don’t have a problem with who you can and can’t like, but all I am saying is that it would have been nice to know beforehand.” 

“It isn’t your business to know who I do or do not like, even if it was Brian and I am not obligated to tell you anything.” Josie shot up from her seat so fast that both Miko and Chip jumped in surprise. She grabbed her now empty bowl of cereal, rinsed it out, and placed it in the dishwasher. 

“I’ll see you at the shop.” She picked up her bag and threw it over her shoulder, not even making eye contact with Roger before heading out the door.” 

~~~~~~~~~

  
The Rag Trade had very slow foot traffic in the morning, which gave Josie time to hang back at the counter and work on finishing Freddie’s jacket before he came in later. John and Roger joined her in the shop two hours later, Roger taking Josie's place behind the counter and John set himself in the back of the store with Josie’s workspace. 

“What’d you think of the show last night?’ John asked. “I didn’t get the chance to see you after the show, looked like you were in a bit of a rush when I saw you.” 

“It was fun,” The seamstress answered, not breaking concentration from the jacket’s meticulous detail work. “Sorry I couldn’t stay later. Had to get up early to open the shop, can’t make rent if we aren’t open, and also I promised Freddie that his jacket would be done today so I have to finish all this stoning or else I’m gonna get way behind on my schedule. What about you? Have some fun after I left?” 

The bassist shook his head, “I guess. None of us were really in much of a partying mood last night.” 

Josie looked up from her work, “How come?”

“I don’t know. The show went great but I just felt drained afterwards. And it felt like there was something going on between Brian and Roger after you left.” He explained. 

Josie felt her stomach drop to her feet. Brian and Roger were mad at each other, and it was all her fault because she almost kissed Brian and Roger saw it happen. She remembered her and Roger’s conversation that morning. Josie barely knew what was happening between her and the guitarist and for sure wasn’t ready to explain it to Roger. “What do you mean by something going on? Like did they look mad at each other or something else was going on?”

John noticed Josie’s sudden interest in Brian and Roger. “They weren’t mad at each other from what I saw, it was more like they had to talk about something but didn’t want to bring it up in front of me and Freddie.” He shrugged, “My guess is that it was about the setlist, they were arguing about wanting to play some old Smile songs. Brian wanted to add them but Rog was against it and wanted to play more Queen songs.” 

The sinking feeling in Josie’s stomach lightened just a bit. Maybe they weren’t mad at each other over her, it was about the setlist and she was just overthinking this whole thing. Josie turned her attention back to finishing Freddie’s jacket, adding plastic rhinestones to the jacket collar. She was over halfway finished and Freddie wasn’t coming in for another two hours, so she would have the heavy work done before Freddie would have a chance to see it for himself. 

Josie and John worked in silence for the next two hours, Josie finishing her project and John focusing on his online classes he was taking for the summer. Josie occasionally broke the silence to ask for John’s opinion on her work to see if there was anything that looked out of place or that Freddie wouldn’t like. She would reciprocate with John as another set of ears to listen to him work out a problem. 

~~~~~~~~~~~  
  


“It looks like something an angry lizard would wear.” Roger laughed as Josie put it on her canvas mannequin to check the fit and any final touches before Freddie came in. 

Josie glared at her roommate as she added the final touches. She had transformed the beat up white leather jacket Freddie had modeled for them two weeks ago into a brand new garment. She kept with the white leather and re-stitched the collar to flare out all the way around and added fake rhinestones to the collar and cuffs of the jacket to add a level of sparkle that only Freddie would deem fashionable. 

“As long as Freddie likes it, that’s all that matters.” She defended her creation. 

“What’d you use to make it?” Roger wondered. 

Josie shrugged. “Some scraps I had from old clothes and fake rhinestones I bought from a previous commission. The jacket itself was easily salvageable but I wanted to make it even better and something that only Freddie would wear.” 

“And you did just that!” A voice exclaimed behind them. All three whipped around to see Freddie and Brian standing at the entrance of the shop. Freddie ran up to the jacket and pulled it off the mannequin before putting it on and modeling in the mirror four the others to see. Josie’s face lit up seeing how much Freddie liked it. “Darling this is absolutely stunning!” 

“Jo, do you think you can make me one to wear to Sunday church?” Deaky joked, watching Freddie marvel in the mirror at his new garment. 

Josie snorted out of laughter. “If you can find me another jacket like that I’ll be more than willing to make you one.”

“I think it looks great Jo.” Brian spoke up. “And like you said, as long as Freddie likes it that’s what really matters.” 

Josie blushed at the compliment. “Thanks Bri, I should have yours done soon too.”

Brian waived her off. “No worries, take however much time you need.”

She laughed. “Thanks, I do have the embroidery we talked about sketched out already if you want to come in back and take a look.” She secretly hoped Brian would accept her offer so she would have a reason to talk to him in private about Roger and the after show events from the previous night.

Brian accepted her offer and followed her to the backroom of the shop that Josie claimed as her workspace for client projects and her work she was doing for Queen on the side. Brian’s jacket was spread out on her worktable, the sleeves now significantly lengthened with found denim and a galaxy print that Josie found at a secondhand fabrics store a few shops down from the Rag Trade. She even used the extra fabric to line the inside of the jacket to add some extra warmth to it. Brian couldn’t see the inner lining though because the jacket was flipped over to show the backside, which was stenciled with different planets and constellations that Josie had researched.  
  


“So this is just a sketch of what I have in mind right now, but I can change it if there’s anything you want different.” She handed him the jacket so he could look more closely at the design. “I also added an inner lining with this fabric.” She grabbed a sample square to show him. “What do you think?”

“It looks great Josie.” Brian marveled at her work. “I love it, and the fabric is a great touch.”

Josie blushed and rocked back on her heels, a nervous habit she had developed in school. “Yeah, I was hoping you would like it. The design is the hard part, so as long as you approve of it the embroidery should only take a couple days for me to do. I already have my threads so I just have to fill everything in.”

“I love it.” Brian grinned, handing the jacket back to her. “I can’t wait to see the end product.” 

Josie took it back and played with the collar. “I can’t wait for you to see it either. I can text you when it is done if you want.” 

“Yea, I’d like that.” Brian looked at her. “Also, I know we didn’t get to talk last night, about what happened at the van.” 

The sinking feeling returned to Josie. “Yea….”

“Are you mad at me?” Brian asked outright. “I swear I wasn’t trying to force myself on you, it-”

“Brian I’m not mad at you.” She cut him off. “We both didn’t plan on it happening but it happened. I just don’t know what it means or how to feel about it.” 

Brian leaned against Josie’s worktable and ran a hand through his curls, trying to collect his thoughts. “It doesn’t have to mean anything right now if you don’t want it to.”

“I don’t know if I want to call it anything.” She sighed, taking a spot next to Brian. “Roger was upset at me this morning because I didn’t tell him there was anything going on with us. I told him it was none of his business and now I don’t know what to do.” 

There was a long pause hanging in the air. Neither of them knew what to say next without it leading to a longer conversation they weren’t ready to have yet. Josie wanted to play it off as a one time thing and it wouldn’t happen again

“You’re right.” Brian spoke up. “This is none of Roger’s business. You don’t have to say anything if you aren’t ready.”

“I’m not. I don’t want to call this anything right now if that’s okay with you.” She replied. 

“Fine with me.” Brian smiled. “I’m not going to push you into anything you don't want. And don’t worry about Roger, that’ll sort itself out. Promise.” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Freddie took over managing the shop with Josie while John and Brian wandered off to grab lunch for the four of them. Roger made his way out onto the shop floor to try and pick up some business while Josie stepped back to where she kept all the clothes that were saved for Queen shows.

“Okay Jo, spill it.” Freddie said the minute Brian was out of earshot. “What is going on between you two?”

“What do you mean? There’s nothing going on between us.” She answered, turning her attention back to leafing through the rack of stage clothes in front of her. 

Freddie rolled his eyes as he sat down on the couch. “Yea right, of course there’s nothing between you two just like there’s nothing between me and Jim.” 

“Well then what’s going on with you and Jim then?” She shot back, continuing to focus on the garments in front of her. “You just met him yesterday. Also, what do you think of this?” She pulled out a black flowing button down shirt.

“Give it to Deaky, he liked the last one you gave him so see if he wants it for the next show. And you’re forgetting that Jim and I already have a date planned.” The singer added on. “That’s more than what you and Brian have going on.”

“We don’t have anything going on Freddie.” She rolled her eyes. “I guess we just vibe well together. I’m not looking to date anyone anyway, especially not one of your bandmates.” 

Freddie cocked his head to the side at her response. “What do you mean by that? I have no problem if you dated someone in the band and I’m sure Roger or Deaky wouldn’t mind either.”

Josie placed the shirt with the rest of John’s stagewear. “Are you sure about that? I’m not too sure if Roger wouldn’t mind me dating a band member.” 

“Now why would you say that?” Freddie asked. 

There was a long pause between the two of them. Josie fiddled with a sleeve from another one of John’s shirts and Freddie drummed his fingers on his knee. 

Josie took a deep breath. “Okay, if I tell you, you have to promise me that you won’t tell anyone. Not Jim, not Deaky, not anyone.” Freddie raised an eyebrow at her request, but he promised not to tell anyone.

“Brian and I almost kissed last night.” She confessed. “After the show in the back of the van. Roger caught us as it was happening and I don’t know for sure what he saw. John said that he and Brian were acting weird after I left and I don’t want to cause drama in the band when you guys are about to take off. I can’t do that to you guys.” 

“Why do you think we would disapprove of you and Brian?” Freddie asked. “If anything, I am all for you two getting together, and from what I’ve seen he likes you back.”

Josie laughed. “Of course you would say that, you’re going to need someone to be your double date with you and Jim.” 

Freddie jokingly clutched his chest in pretend shock. “How dare you believe I would set you up for my own gain. I would never do such a thing!”   
  


The pair burst into laughter. Freddie always knew how to lighten her mood, and after this morning’s conversation with Roger she definitely needed it. There weren't ever a lot of fights between them but this was different. The thought of what happened deflated her mood and Freddie could see it on her face. 

“I heard what happened this morning with you and Roger. He told me last night what happened with you and Brian on our way home.” Freddie confessed. “He isn’t upset at you or Brian.”

Josie scoffed. “It didn’t sound like that this morning. He kept saying that I should have told him, and I have no idea what’s going on myself so why would I tell him in the first place?” 

He shrugged. “I don’t know. Just tell him that you needed some time to figure it out yourself before you wanted to tell anyone.” 

Josie sighed and sunk into the couch next to Freddie. “You’re right. Brian and I don’t know what we want to call whatever happened last night and I don’t want to call it anything right now.” 

“Then that’s what you do.” Freddie replied. “It doesn’t have to be anything if neither of you want it to be anything.” 

That advice stuck with Josie. She liked Brian but didn’t want it to be anything at this point in time and that was okay. 

“Thanks Fred.” She pulled herself off the couch. “How long are you here today?” 

“I’m closing up the shop today, so Jim is picking me up at 7.” He replied. 

“Well have fun tonight.” She grinned. “I really hope it goes well, Jim seems like a pretty cool guy and I am really happy for you Fred.” 

For the first time that Josie could see, Freddie blushed at the compliment. It was a rare sight but Josie knew this was a good sign. Everything was going to be okay.

  
  
  



End file.
